Eating off Others' Plates

Every time you dine in a public restaurant with your friend, she wants to taste test your meal -- before you even start. How to appropriately deal with her request?

1) Let her reach over the table to sample it with her own fork.
2) Taste it first, then with your fork dole out a portion onto her butter dish and pass it to her.
3) Taste it, then pick up a small portion with her fork and discreetly pass it to her.

The correct answer: (3) One of the joys of eating out is getting to taste foods that you wouldn't ordinarily make or order. It's perfectly acceptable for your friend to taste your food in public, if she's discreet. Since you've already used your utensil, take your friend's fork and place a bite of food on it; then carefully pass it back to her. (If you didn't use your fork yet, it's OK to cut off a piece of food with your utensil and unobtrusively deliver it to her plate.)